


Opal Tabris

by MangoPantsu



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Adventure, Dragon Age Spoilers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Grey Wardens, Hero of Ferelden - Freeform, MangoPantsu, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, POV Third Person, this is not a romance-centered fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 15:54:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5339840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoPantsu/pseuds/MangoPantsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story no one expected, a hero no one anticipated, not even the hero herself. I tell the tale of Opal Tabris, Hero of Ferelden, and how she came to be just that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opal Tabris

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear reader. This is just another story of another Grey Warden and how she came to be. I hate to disappoint upfront, but this is definitely not a fanfic centered around Alistair and Opal, and while their relationship will come up in great detail in later chapters, they will be much later.
> 
> I also am not sure how long this will be, or if I'll even complete it. It all depends. On my muse, how much time I have, how you guys receive it, if you receive it at all... and the like. But I promise it'll all be written with love and tenderness, because Opal is very dear to me. If you want me to keep writing, tell me. Push me forward. Make me do it. If there's even just one person out there who wants to hear this story, I will tell it for them as best I can.
> 
> If you're still interested, then pull up a chair. Let us sit by the virtual fire in this virtual tavern, the distant sound of a lute in the background, and me, with a large virtual book in my lap. Let me tell you about Opal Tabris.

 

 

"Opal, put that down! You promised Papa you'd help him with lunch today!"

Opal, who had been swinging her wooden sword around with loud "hyah!"'s and "ha!"'s, lowered her weapon, sticking her bottom lip out as she looked to her mother.

"But Momma," she pouted, "I want to train more."

"Tsk. You said that yesterday and made him cook all by himself." Adaia crouched to eye level with her daughter, combing back a strand of that beautiful white hair with a smile. "We'll train before supper, okay?"

Opal sulked a bit, handing over the wooden sword to her mother, who took it and placed a kiss on her nine-year-old's forehead before nudging her in the direction of the kitchen. "Go on, now."

Adaia watched as her daughter went over to her father, who smiled lovingly at the small one and began to talk to her about making his special stew. Opal soon forgot her pouting, and was volunteering to help chop up the potatoes.

The elf smiled to herself, leaning back against the wall. Her daughter and her husband. In a million years, Adaia would never have guessed this is where she would end up. A domestic mother, taking care of her family and watching after her baby. She never expected to leave her life of adventuring behind.

No, she would never have guessed this would be her destination, but she couldn't regret it.

Adaia turned from the two, going to put away Opal's sword in their sole chest. Just as she was turning around, while deciding Opal was just about ready to wield a real blade, she was met with the sight of Cyrion. She smiled at him.

"Dear Husband. Dont tell me you left my daughter alone with a sharp knife," Adaia remarked, a playful glint in her eye.

Cyrion chuckled. "No, my love, Opal's in charge of stirring at the moment."

"Oh, well that's much better. She's only stirring boiling liquids?"

Cyrion shook his head, and Adaia grinned at him. They moved in unison back near Opal, out of earshot but close enough to keep an eye on her.

"Adaia..."

Adaia glanced up, recognizing that tone with a scowl. "No, Cyrion. I don't want to hear it."

He sighed. "You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"Something negative. Something worrisome. You're always fretting. I know that voice," Adaia retorted, narrowing her dark brown eyes at his blue-gray ones.

"Those humans from this morning, they seemed--" Cyrion started, but Adaia interrupted.

"Like cowards? Show-offs?" She snorted. "They're nothing but a bunch of bratty royals trying to seem all big and tough. Shems," Adaia muttered the Dalish slur under her breath.

"They seemed angry. Adaia, I'm worried for our family. Humans can be so brash and unpredictable," Cyrion spoke quietly, an anxious note in his voice.

"They're nothing but talk, Cyrion. They wanted to bully some elves and they got their britches in a bunch because I wouldn't lay down and let them step on me." Seeing the worried glint remain in her husband's eyes, she took his hands into hers. "We will be okay, just as we always have been," she murmured soothingly, lifting his chin so that he looked at her. Her eyes were gentle and loving, and eventually Cyrion expelled his breath and smiled softly.

"You always know what to say," he breathed, leaning his forehead against hers.

Adaia smiled, tilting her head up so she could press her lips to his. He responded in turn, holding the kiss for a long moment.

"Papaaa, Mommaaaa," Opal suddenly called, her voice breaking the kiss. "I spilt some of the stew 'nto the fire..."

Cyrion and Adaia smiled to each other, and Adaia gave him one last kiss before Cyrion returned to Opal's side with reassuring words. "Don't worry, my dear girl. Maybe the fire was just a bit peckish."

Adaia sighed, but it was a happy sigh. She never saw herself as mother or a wife, but she enjoyed every minute of being both. Staring at the two most important people of her life now, her heart clenched. This small, warm light in such a dark, unforgiving world belonged to her. She knew she would do anything to protect it.

"Momma! Suppertime!" Opal declared from the kitchen, her chest puffed out with a very proud look on her face.

Adaia rested a hand on her heart, melted by that cute face. "Alright," she finally said, "I'm coming."

 

 

/ / /

 

 

"Momma."

Adaia's brows furrowed, confused. In her dream, an armor-clad Opal stood with a sword in her hand, victorious over her foe. The adult Opal turned her head to look at Adaia and spoke, but the childlike voice seemed out of place for the young woman.

"Momma!"

Adaia's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, her eyes adjusted to the dark. It didn't take long for her to pick out her daughter's face in front of her, her glowing blue-gray eyes most prominent. She looked uneasy.

"What is it, Opal?" Adaia asked in a voice cracked by lack of use. She cleared her throat.

Opal's eyebrows pinched up, and she looked off. "There's someone at the door."

Adaia started. Someone at the door? At this hour? Anxiety slowly began to creep on her, but she pushed it back down. It was probably just one of the other elves.

Adaia got up quickly, quietly, careful not to rouse her husband that slept next to her. She pulled on some clothes over her underwear and her boots before, with a deep breath to calm herself, head towards the door.

She hesitated with her hand on the handle, scolding herself silently. There was no reason to be this jumpy. So why...?

She felt a tug on her clothing and jumped a bit, before exhaling heavily as she saw it was only Opal. "What is it?"

Opal looked nervous, like she might get in trouble, but she revealed something from behind her back: a gleaming sword. Adaia's sword.

Adaia furrowed her brows before looking to Opal. "Where did you find this, Opal?" She kept this sword hidden underneath the floorboards at all times, careful not to remove it in front of her daughter. Staring at Opal now, who averted her eyes, she should've known in retrospect Opal was too smart for her own good.

"Be careful, Momma," Opal mumbled, finally meeting her eyes.

The words were eerily remnant of the same worry that was rising in herself. She looked at her daughter for another long moment before leaning down to kiss her forehead. She held the kiss for a while before pulling back to look at Opal. "Stand out of sight, my love," Adaia told her gently.

Opal looked warily at the door once more before obeying, tucking herself behind a shelf that covered her in shadows.

Adaia stared at her a long moment before turning back to the door. She slipped the sword into her clothes so it was hidden before reaching for the door again.

She tugged it open, her heart in her mouth as she did so.

"Hello, knife-ear."

Adaia's breathing stilled.

Standing outside her house were the two nobles from before, in full armor, with a number of guards behind them.

It took her a moment to speak. "Hello," she responded, in a remarkably steady and cool voice. "Is there something you needed?"

"Oh, no, just in the neighborhood," the other remarked, his hand on the hilt of his sword that hung by his side.

"Mind if we come in?" the first spoke again, moving towards the entrance of the house without waiting for her response.

"Yes, I do," Adaia said, moving to block them from coming in. The noble who she stood in front of smirked before, in a quick movement, struck Adaia on the cheek. The blow was hard, and it knocked her off balance enough so he could shove her to the floor.

She blinked rapidly, stars dancing in her vision as the men made their way inside the house. She shot a panicked look towards where Opal had been hiding, but didn't see her there anymore. Relief washed over her, but it was brief; the threat remained.

"Nice little hovel you got here," one of them sneered, approaching the very shelf. He spent a moment examining the little knick-knacks that lay above it before suddenly knocking the entire shelf down. Its contents tumbled to the ground, some of the fragile things shattering.

Adaia got to her feet in a quick movement, tasting the coppery taste of blood where she bit her cheek. "Get out," she commanded them, her voice loud and unwavering. She had to keep her family safe. She had to.

The two nobles looked up to her, sick grins on their ugly human faces. "Alright, we'll get out," one of them conceded.

"But you're coming with us," the other growled, grabbing her shoulders.

Adaia jerked away from his harsh grip, backing up against the wall. She saw their eyes, hungry and malicious. She swallowed hard. She wanted to fight. She wanted to show them what she was capable of. The fury inside her begged to be unleashed. She wanted to bring them to their knees. Adaia was livid, but...

The picture of her husband and her daughter making dinner flashed into her eyes, and her throat tightened. Adaia had once promised herself she would never let a human make her feel inferior. But... She closed her eyes, remembering them. _I have to protect them._

She reopened her eyes, raising her chin. Some things were worth breaking promises. "Alright. I will go with you."

The men rumbled with laughter, and a guard moved forward to yank her forward.

"Good choice. Maybe all you knife-ears aren't as dumb as you look," one of the nobles remarked.

The men started moving towards the door, Adaia guided by a harsh grip on her left arm. A feeling of dread began to pool in her stomach, but she had to do this. Hopefully it would be over soon, and then they'd let her go and she could return to her family and pretend like none of it ever happened...

"Sers," another voice sounded, "what is going on here?"

Adaia exhaled like someone had punched her at the sound of Cyrion's voice, and she turned to see her husband standing near, with a small Opal hugging his one of his legs.

Adaia closed her eyes. _Oh gods, no, no..._

"Well, well, well! You didn't tell us you had a family, did you?" One of the nobles asked, standing next to Adaia. "What a naughty girl."

"Sers," Cyrion started again, his voice wavering a bit. "Please let us be. There's no need for this."

"Oh but there is," one of the nobles said, his voice taking on an icy tone. "This knife-eared bitch thought she could get away with calling us names and impugning our honor," he spat, pointing at Adaia. "We're gonna teach her what happens to knife-eared bitches who forget their place."

"Husband, enough," Adaia said, meeting Cyrion's eyes. "I will pay the consequence for my actions."

"Yeah, _Husband_ ," the other noble sneered, "stay out of this before we decide to teach you a lesson as well."

The other suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute... Who is that precious little thing you have there?"

Adaia's eyes widened as she watched him narrow his eyes on Opal. Opal winced a bit away from them, clutching onto her father's leg tighter. The noble who had called her out moved towards her, and Adaia jerked forward, but the guard kept a steady grip on her arm.

"No," Adaia protested, voice strained, "No! Stay away from her, leave her alone!"

"Shut up!" the other noble snapped, striking her again.

"Leave Momma alone!" Opal cried out, moving to run towards Adaia, but Cyrion caught her and pulled her back.

"Oh, she has her mother's fight," the nobleman purred, leaning down to look at her. "She's awfully cute, isn't she?" A twisted smile pulled at his lips. "She'd make a lovely little plaything..."

Adaia cried out, lunging forward, but the guard managed to keep his hold. Another one soon restrained her right arm.

Cyrion, looking horrified, stepped in front of his daughter. "My lord, she is a child."

"Shut your mouth! I'll water the floor with your blood if you speak to me again," he growled, taking a step towards Cyrion. "Give me the girl. Now."

Adaia, who had been struggling against her captors, yanked with all her might and managed to break free of their grip. She kicked one in the shin before darting in front of the noble and removing the sword from her clothing. "You will not touch her," she snarled, hands tightening around the hilt as she stood in front of all she loved.

"You bitch," the noble said venomously, unsheathing his sword. "I'll gut your entire family!"

He started towards her, and she towards him, and the room erupted into chaos. Adaia moved with grace and skill, dodging blades left and right as the men descended onto her. They were good, but she was better. In the first few minutes she manged to disengage two guards and land a hit on one of the nobles, wounding his arm so he couldn't hold his sword quite right.

But she was outnumbered, even with the guards she'd taken down. Adaia's body was beginning to wear, and she found it harder to draw her breath. The fiends' blades found her more often now, covering her with nicks and cuts.

She couldn't give in, though. She couldn't stop. She needed to protect them...

The noble who wanted to take Opal lunged, and his sword found Adaia's belly. She cried out as it tore deep, and her knees buckled. She fell, clutching her stomach and feeling the blood seep through her fingers. Her mind was whirling, the pain fogging her vision, her breathing ragged. She looked up, and the noble approached her with his sword drawn.

"I will kill you, then your husband, and I will take your daughter for my own, and when I've used her all up, I will kill her, too. Slowly," he growled to her.

The words filled her with rage, and the rage lent her energy. With a battlecry, she arced out with her sword. The blade cut from his hip up to his cheek, leaving a shallow but long slice.

The noble howled in pain, stumbling back and into his guards, who just barely managed to catch him.

"Kill her," he spat, blood running down his face.

Adaia found she could not get up. She was too weak to move, and was helpless to watch as a guard approached her.

A shriek sounded, and suddenly a small figure barreled into the guard with such force he stumbled and fell. Adaia's eyes widened. Her little Opal stood there, fierce and brave, in between her mother and the men.

The guard recovered, and, furious, started moving towards them both.

"My lord!" a voice sounded from the doorway, stopping the guard in his track. "Her Ladyship is on her way here."

The noble, the one with the wounded arm, looked to the other noble. "We should go. If she catches us here, stirring up trouble..."

The nobleman Adaia had just harmed glared at the Tabris family, the little girl who stood in front of her dying mother, the father who kneeled next to her.

He spat out blood onto the floor. "Let's go," he muttered. And they left, limping as they went.

After they were all gone, Opal turned towards her mother. Adaia lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling with blurry vision. Cyrion pressed a cloth to her wound, hands shaking as he tried to put pressure on it. There was so much blood. Too much

"Adaia," he said, his voice trembling.

Adaia released a puff of air - a sort of laugh, before looking at him. "There's that voice... again..." she croaked, a weak smile pulling at her blood-stained lips. She managed to find one of his hands and wrapped her fingers around it, clutching it tightly. He took her hand in both of his with a sob, pressing his lips to her cold fingers. She splayed them in response, touching his jawline and cheek tenderly.

Her eyes stung with tears. "I tried to protect you," she whispered, her thumb running over his lips. "I'm sorry."

Adaia felt a warm wetness underneath her fingers, and her heart broke to watch her husband cry like this. It was all her fault...

 "You did protect us."

Adaia's eyes fluttered open, not even realizing she'd been closing them. She felt her head shift, and the cold dirt ground was replaced by a small lap. She looked up to see Opal. Opal, who had equipped with a sword, who had woken her father to try and help her, who had rushed in front of her and saved her life, if only for a handful of minutes. Adaia felt tears blur her vision once more, and reached her free hand out to touch her daughter's cheek.

"My brave girl," she murmured, blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth. It was getting very hard to concentrate, to focus her mind.

"You saved us, Momma," Opal said, trying to keep her voice strong, but it cracked at the end.

The words filled Adaia with warmth, and she let out a sigh. She had. She saved her baby, she saved her love, and they were okay now. Peace filled her broken body, and she smiled at the two. Her vision leaving her, though, and all she saw were their two blurry faces above her. She was tired, so tired...

The last sight she had was her daughter's face. She closed her eyes and saw that strong, grown face from her dream. It made her smile again, and she let herself fall into the blackness.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> A gruesome, sad start, but it gets better. Eventually. I doubt the next chapters will be much more cheerful, aha. Feel free to drop a comment (and maybe a kudo ;) ) if you're feeling it, telling me what you think. I'm kind of just following the original Tabris backstory, but I thought Adaia's relationship with Opal was important and needed to be shown, if only briefly.


End file.
